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Author: timp

We hope that this reference will help if you have vintage Sylko cotton reels that you are keen to date. Confirming an exact date for any specific cotton reel is difficult if not impossible, however the labels did change over time and by comparing these to contemporary adverts etc. it has been possible to identify time periods where different reels were on sale. We don’t claim that this is 100% accurate and it is very much a work in progress, if you can help us with different label designs or further information then please get in touch.

If you are interested in the different colour threads and their numbers then please check our list of thread colours and of course we have some for sale, check here.

Note most threads appear to have came in both No 40 and No 50 weights. Number 40 was described as for “general requirements” and is the most common. Number 50 was described as a “…finer thread suitable for stitching the most dainty and delicate fabrics…” The red and the blue print were reversed on the No 50 on most labels.

In the following we will refer to the label with the three shells design as the front/top and the label with the colour name and number as the rear.

This front label dates back to at least 1909 though may have been used earlier and was used well in to the 1930’s.

Note the thread weight appears on the rear label and not on the front as it did on subsequent designs. On these labels the No40 was printed in gold and the No50 in blue.

This front design was in use by 1938 (the previous style was still being used in adverts in 1937) and was used until the mid to late 1950’s. This still includes the words “Silk Substitute” and a thread weight is now given. This style of label was also issued on larger reels with a No36 weight and at least one marked 24/36.

We have placed the rear labels in the order they were probably used (though there was in all likelihood some crossover). The first type (D.137) doesn’t give a colour name whereas D.136 does. D.117 introduces the Sylko brand logo on the reverse label. D.235 is an early example of the LD acronym being dropped and D.125 was probably the last style that was used with this front label design as it went on to be used with the next type as well (see below).

We have found both the D.136 and the D.117 style labels on small size (2.4cm high) reels, these were, we believe, produced in the war years as a result of rationing.

This front design was introduced between 1954 and 1958 and was probably used until the early 70’s. This featured on both wooden and plastic bobbins (the latter certainly by 1971 and possibly a little earlier). Note the words “Silk Substitute” have been dropped. This style of label was also issued on larger reels with a 36 weight.

For the rear label there were a couple of different labels used on standard size wooden reels, note the second one illustrated (D.305) includes British Standard B.S. 3418-61 which was for Domestic sewing threads (cotton and linen) and was introduced on the 25/9/61. The D.123 illustration seems to be the earliest rear label used on plastic reels though D.460 shows that it was occasionally used for wooden ones too.

This front label was used on plastic bobbins only. It was in use by 1973. Note the use of grey ink instead of blue on the top images (the No50 weight came in the blue as well as grey).

There were two distinct types of bottom label used, the one with the broader band came first and was similar, but not the same, as the style shown on the previous type. This was later changed to the thin band example (D314/D274), both types dropped the point after the D in the thread number. Note that on illustrations for D314 and D274 the order of the metric and imperial measurements has changed, this probably occurred in the second half of the 1970’s.

Dewhurst & Son’s produced the Sylko range of machine twist cotton, the most popular range of cottons used in the UK. The iconic Sylko label is instantly recognisable as a symbol of quality and the wonderful colours and evocative names given to the threads mean that there are many vintage and haberdashery enthusiasts who now collect the original cotton reels.

There were around 500 colours produced, originally on wooden bobbins (through to the 1960’s) and then on plastic ones (in the 70’s and 80’s). We only own a fraction of these but thought it would be worthwhile to illustrate these in a gallery for other collectors. This gallery concentrates on the bobbins produced up to the early 80’s as we don’t collect the very last types.

You can also scroll down for a fully sortable list of Sylko colors and a downloadable PDF list.

Sylko label designs changed over time, please see our other page for information on dating different Sylko label types.

Presenting the “full” Sylko list

Here is the full list of Sylko colors (full but not complete – this is a work in progress). We have physically seen all of the listed colours unless there is a (?) against the name in which case these are unconfirmed. Similarly the Y indicates a confirmed wood or plastic wheel. Updated 20/2/19

This list is intended to help collectors and buyers identify the different patterns in the J&G Meakin Studio range, we’ve illustrated the coffee pots as these are the most collectible and popular. As in excess of 100 different patterns exist the ones photographed here are just a start and we’ve a long way to go before we feature them all! If you can help us by supplying photographs of any of the patterns not featured then please get in touch.

We have lot’s of Studio coffee pots and other ceramics in these wonderful patterns for sale at RetroSpectro, see them all here.

This page would not have been possible without the bible of all things J&G Meakin: J&G Meakin Pottery: History In The Making by Chris Marks. Whilst not currently in print this book is a great resource for everyone with an interest in the designs and patterns produced by this famous pottery.

Black Echoes started out in early 1976 as a weekly paper dedicated to all forms of black music. In a world before the internet printed magazines and papers were the main source of news for music lovers and mainstream music papers such as NME and Melody Maker enjoyed significant sales. Black Echoes wasn’t the first UK publication to feature black music as two magazines got there first: The monthly Black Music from 1973 and the fortnightly Blues & Soul (originally Home Of The Blues) from 1967. The difference with Black Echoes was that being a weekly paper and having a larger newspaper format meant that there was far more up to date content and there was just a lot more of it.

Right from the start there was significant space given to soul, reggae, funk, northern soul, jazz, blues, disco and so on. There were front page portraits of artists, pages of charts, interviews and biographies, live reviews, single and LP reviews. Even the adverts both big and small are fascinating, be it a full page advert for a Trojan or Motown LP or little corner page advert for a northern soul all-niter or a reggae sound system clash.

So if you are a serious student of music, a fan who just wants to read about how it happened as it happened, or you just want a great advert or cover to frame on your wall, original copies of Black Music are superb.

We have lot’s of early copies of Black Echoes for sale at Retrospectro, see them all here.

If you buy 10 or more copies we’ll give you a 10% discount before postage (pay the full amount and we’ll refund the difference or contact us with a list of the issues you want and we’ll send you a paypal invoice for the correct amount).